Professor Publishes Book on Faith and Politics

Dr. David Swartz's new book looks at the people and events of the evangelical left.

A book written by Professor David Swartz of the Asbury University History Department was recently featured in The New York Times Sunday Book Review.

The book, titled “Moral Minority: The Evangelical Left in an Age of Conservatism,” was released this week from the University of Pennsylvania Press. It tracks the people, beliefs and strategies of progressive evangelicalism through the second half of the 20th century.

"I hope that those who read the book will be motivated to think about their faith and their politics contextually,” Swartz said. “Just about all of us, folks on the right and the left, seem so certain that we’re right, that there’s a direct line from the Bible to the ballot box. My book tries to show how diverse Christians are — and have been — culturally, theologically and politically. Given different circumstances, we could have very different views about poverty, war, capital punishment and gender roles. This ought to inculcate a profound sense of humility in our thinking."

Swartz has been teaching at Asbury since the Fall 2010 semester and holds a Ph.D. in American History from the University of Notre Dame.